


Silver on the Sage, Starlit Skies Above

by afewmorenights



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Baekhyun is a shy Boy Scout, Boy Scouts, Camping, Chanyeol is a tall handsome ranger assigned to Baek's troop, EXO OT9, Love at First Sight, M/M, Sekai and kaisoo kinda exist at the same time its a weird love triangle, but jongin and kyungsoo are soft together, chanbaek is the main ship, junmyeon and yixing are sorta together bc everyone else is shipped, sheen and Jongin are bffs but lowkey gay for each other, xiuchen is like the secondary ship and basically a couple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-11 18:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15321579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmorenights/pseuds/afewmorenights
Summary: “That’s the Tooth of Time,” says a deep voice from behind him.Baekhyun snaps out of his state of awe and spins around to see a tall man behind him. Is he a man? Perhaps a boy, Baekhyun considers. He is tall and intimidating, but his soft features and large ears give him a youthful look. He’s cute. Baekhyun stares at him, just like he was staring at the mountain only seconds before.“Um…what?” Baekhyun was in a daze.The taller boy chuckles, “That mountain you were ogling at? It’s called the Tooth of Time. See how it looks like a tooth?” He points behind Baekhyun.The shorter boy follows the taller’s finger with his eyes and looks back at the mountain. His brain finally starts to function again.“Oh! R-right! That’s, uh, cool,” Baekhyun replies, trying his hardest not to appear flustered.The tall boy chuckles again. “I’m Chanyeol, by the way. I’ll be your ranger for the start of your trek.”(Where Baekhyun is a Boy Scout on a high adventure trip and Chanyeol is the ranger that might make his trip a lot more adventurous.)





	1. Adventure of a Lifetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my FIRST EVER fan fiction and I'm super duper nervous about sharing it with the world because I don't know if my writing is actually good or not, lol. 
> 
> I got this idea from a personal experience of mine where I went camping and formed a crush on the ranger. Obviously, this story will be a far stretch from the truth, and will also be a lot gayer (and spicier, if I decide to add smut, wink wink).
> 
> I've fallen in love with exo these past few months, and I'm lowkey addicted to reading fan fiction, so I'm really excited to create my own for once and see where it goes.
> 
> *ALSO: The boys are high schoolers in America
> 
> Photo references: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KZUahhyMkp685PUmwMFcmYdlufrFknOm
> 
> 7/17/18

Baekhyun joined the Boy Scouts when he was 7 years old, starting out as a little Cub Scout and continuing through all the badges and ranks. At 17, he gained the Eagle Scout Award, the highest ranking in Boy Scouts. When a Scout turns 18, they can no longer be in Scouting, and half of Baekhyun’s troop was turning 18 that year, so as a final trip with the whole troop together, the adult leaders planned a trip to Philmont, which is basically the holy land for all of Scouting. Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico contains 140,177 acres of mountainous desert, history of homesteaders and loggers and miners, incredible nature, and a good number of bears. Troops that go to Philmont embark on an intense backpacking trip over 10 days, some of which can reach over 100 miles of total hiking. So, during the summer before Baekhyun’s senior year of high school, his troop finally went to Philmont.

Baekhyun had always loved nature. He felt a connection to the environment around him; an indescribable feeling of peace would surround him like mist, and he would be content. The idea of living right in the heart of nature for over a week filled him with excitement and anticipation.

He packed and unpacked all his supplies several times, reassuring himself that he had everything he needed, and nothing he didn’t. The 75-liter backpack was almost as big as him, and weighed at least 30 pounds (without food), so it was important to have only the essentials. Satisfied with his backpack, he laid out the clothes he would wear to the airport and went to sleep, knowing it would be the last night he was in his own bed for the next two weeks.

Baekhyun had to wake up painfully early to get to the airport for their morning flight. After throwing on his clothes and eating some toast, he brushed his teeth and ruffled his hair to get rid of his bedhead. It had been a while since he last dyed it, so dark roots were showing through his blonde locks. He knew the roots would only get worse while on the trail, but then again, looks don’t really matter when you’re camping. And he’d be with his friends, who wouldn’t give a fuck how he looked. It’s not like he was trying to impress anyone.

With his ashy hair looking presentable—well, presentable enough for air travel—he grabs his bags and runs down the stairs, where his father is nagging him to hurry up. The weight of his pack makes him practically fall down the steps, being pulled by gravity to his possible doom. Luckily, he lands on his feet after skipping the last three steps, then hurries to the car where his dad is waiting.

 

***

 

“Hey, Baekhyun! You made it!” exclaims Minseok when Baekhyun waddles up to the group in the lobby of the airport, feeling unsteady from his enormous backpack.

Minseok’s raven hair is styled so his bangs are parted down the middle, letting his forehead peek through. His tank top shows off his toned arms, and Baekhyun is jealous of how good his friend looks all the time. Baekhyun runs a hand through his hair, hoping it looks okay.

The blonde boy heaves his pack onto the floor and sighs heavily as Minseok pats his shoulder.

“Aren’t you excited?!” Minseok yells.

“ _Minseok_ ,” he drags out, exasperated, “yes, I’m excited, but it’s 6 in the goddamn morning, _please_ lower your voice,” Baekhyun replies wearily. The older boy rolls his eyes and let out a cheerful laugh.

“Damn, we need to get some coffee in this boy ASAP!” Minseok quips, not lowering his volume at all like the other boy requested. Mr. Kim, Minseok’s dad, juts into the conversation and assures the boys they can get coffee after going through security and reaching the gate.

Minseok is the oldest, yet he had the optimism and energy of a child. Whenever Baekhyun was feeling down, Minseok’s bright personality would cheer him up immediately. Baekhyun was grateful Minseok was going on the trip with him. He had heard that Philmont can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining, and knowing Minseok would be there to support him made Baekhyun feel relieved. Out of the whole troop, he felt closest to Minseok. He was like an older brother, a mentor, and a best friend all in one.

Over time, more boys showed up and joined the group, creating quite a scene. Baekhyun felt a little dorky wearing a huge backpack out in public, but it was even worse with an entire group of people wearing backpacks so full that they looked like vertical camels. Small daypacks worn on their fronts were the cherry on top of the public-spectacle-fudge-sundae. A few people definitely took pictures while passing by. Baekhyun didn’t blame them, he probably would have too.

Junmyeon, Yixing, Minseok, and the adult advisors Mr. Zhang and Mr. Kim were already there when Baekhyun arrived. Soon after, Mr. Oh walks in with Jongin and Sehun, the two boys that many people mistake for either twins or boyfriends since they are basically inseparable. Both boys throw their stuff down next to Baekhyun’s and join in on the card game going on between Minseok and Baekhyun on the floor. Kyungsoo arrives right on time at 6:15 and quietly stands next to Junmyeon.

Jongdae is the last to show up and whines when everyone yells at him for being late.

Mr. Oh clears his throat to gain everyone’s attention and announces, “Alright boys, grab your stuff. First, we’ll check our bags and then get in line for security. Make sure you have your ticket, and your ID for those of you over 18!”

The boys that had turned 18 before the trip were technically not Scouts anymore, but they were still allowed to go since they registered for the trip while still eligible. This included Minseok, Junmyeon, and Yixing. After the trip, they would officially be done with Scouting. Those three boys were in the grade above Baekhyun and had just graduated, meaning they were going to college that fall. It hurt Baekhyun’s heart to think he would have to say goodbye to them. This trip wasn’t just their last Scouting trip, but the last trip with all of his friends together. They would still keep in touch, but things change, and they wouldn’t be the same afterwards. Sometimes Baekhyun just wanted to preserve this moment; being young with his friends, not worrying about life or money or college, and just enjoying the trees and the shitty trail food and the stars that light up the night sky, and most importantly, the presence of his favorite people in the whole world.

He is broken out of his deep thought by a hand on his shoulder. He glances up at Mr. Zhang who gives him a warm smile and nudges him forward. Baekhyun gets the hint and falls into line behind everyone else. Giving his bag to the airport worker and seeing it go down the conveyor belt is a relief. Now he only has to worry about his small daypack, which contains essential items for travelling, the most important being his beloved camera and a pair of headphones. They wouldn’t be able to have their cell phones out on the trail, so he was treasuring the time he had with it now while they were still a part of civilization. No music for 10 days would be rough, but Baekhyun reminds himself that it is all worth it for the experience.

The boys continue to chat as they wait in the security line. Baekhyun had flown several times before, but he still got butterflies in his stomach every time. Once he got through the dreaded security, he relaxed. He had no reason to be nervous of the security check, it wasn’t like he had a bomb or anything, but he is slightly scared of the intimidating TSA officers, who all looked like they were 100% done with everyone’s shit. He lets out a sigh of relief after making it through the body scanner, then puts his shoes and belt back on and grabs his daypack. Minseok laces his fingers into Baekhyun’s and leads him towards the Dunkin Donuts, practically skipping. Baekhyun smiles and shakes his head at his best friend’s playful antics as he is dragged along.

“I’ll have a medium iced caramel macchiato, and a large coffee for my friend—”

“—black. And hot, not iced, please,” Baekhyun chimes in.

The cashier glares at the boy, who is much taller than her, but her fiery gaze makes him feel small. She then changes the drink in the register to match Baekhyun’s requests.

“Oh! And a chocolate donut. Please.”

The cashier sighs heavily and adds a donut to the order, pressing the register’s screen a little harder than necessary. Minseok pays and tells the rude cashier to have a great day, a little too enthusiastically and with a slight hint of sarcasm.

“Damn, what’s her deal?” Minseok whispers to Baekhyun once they move down the line to wait for their drinks.

“I told you, literally every single person that works in an airport is constantly in a bad mood,” he replies.

“They just hate life,” Minseok laughs.

A different, but equally angry-looking worker hands them their drinks and Baekhyun’s donut. Baekhyun takes a large gulp of his coffee and closes his eyes in contentment.

“I don’t get how you can drink that, Baekhyunnie. I mean, it’s summer! Summer is for iced drinks! And _black_ coffee? That’s just gross.” Minseok scrunches his eyebrows and sticks out his tongue, showing his disgust.

Baekhyun giggles. “How else am I gonna get the full flavor of the coffee? Milk and sugar just cloud over the coffee’s true potential. Your caramel macchiato is hardly even coffee,” he retorts. Minseok rolls his eyes and continues to happily sip his overly sweet drink, judgingly glancing over at Baekhyun’s bitter cup.

They walk back to their gate where the group has taken up an entire section of seats, daypacks covering half the chairs and maps spread out on the floor. Junmyeon, who had been voted as the troop leader, draws lines and symbols on the map to designate the stops on their itinerary and what routes they would take. Yixing is sitting next to him, cluelessly staring at a compass, and Kyungsoo attempts to teach him how to use it. Sehun is drawing inappropriate doodles in the corner of the map, and Jongin hurriedly tries to erase them before the adults catch a glimpse.

Minseok is sat next to Junmyeon and helping to map out the itinerary, and Baekhyun observes them, thinking about the exciting activities they have planned.

When the plane arrives, people start to line up in front of the gate, so the boys fold up their maps and gather their things. After showing his ticket to the gate lady, he walks ahead and turns around to wait for Minseok, who smiles at him excitedly and scurries over to walk next to him down the hallway leading into the plane. The flight attendants greet them with forced smiles as they board, and Baekhyun smiles hesitantly in return.

“I call window seat!” Minseok yells as he jumps into their row. Baekhyun tries to protest, since he wanted some Instagram-worthy photos of the clouds once they were in the sky, but one look at Minseok’s pouty face and he is defeated. Baekhyun has a good puppy dog face himself, but he was a sucker for Minseok’s big eyes and pouty lips. He sits in the middle seat next to his childish friend, and Jongdae sits down next to Baekhyun in the aisle seat.

Jongdae is in chorus with Baekhyun and Minseok, and the three boys are well known as a powerful singing trio. The other chorus kids refer to them as CBX, which are the initials of their nicknames: Chen, Baek, and Xiumin. No one really knows how the nicknames Chen and Xiumin came about, but they had stuck with the boys through all of middle and high school. Baekhyun thinks about chorus, and the realization that Minseok won’t be with them next year makes his heart pang in his chest.

Suddenly, Baekhyun feels something tickle the top of his head, and he turns around to see Jongin, Sehun, and Kyungsoo in the row behind him. Jongin and Sehun are snickering, and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes then glances at Baekhyun with a look that says _I’m so sorry these losers are bothering you._

Baekhyun reaches back and lightly whacks both of the giggling boys on the tops of their heads. “Keep your hands to yourselves!” He scolds jokingly. They rub their heads, pretending to be very hurt. Baekhyun turns back around to see Minseok and Jongdae leaning forward having a conversation across him. Baekhyun suddenly feels like a better door than a window, so he offers to switch seats with Jongdae so that the two lovebirds could talk easier.

The two boys thought they were subtle, but everyone in the troop—and basically the entire school—could see the two boys were smitten for each other. Baekhyun sighs and plops down in the aisle seat, feeling like a third wheel. He takes out his headphones and turns on some chill music. The six-hour flight to Phoenix, then the one-hour connecting flight to Albuquerque meant they were in for a long, tiring day, as well as lots of free time. Baekhyun digs through his daypack and pulls out his book. He tries to read, but soon enough, his eyelids feel heavy and sleep overtakes him.

 

***

 

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and Baekkie!” Jongdae sing-songs into Baekhyun’s ear, poking his cheek. “We’ve landed!”

Baekhyun blinks rapidly and looks around. Both Jongdae and Minseok are looking at him, as well as Junmyeon and Yixing, who stand in the aisle after getting up from their seats across the aisle.

“Everyone else has gotten off the plane, man,” Sehun says from behind him.

“Well why didn’t anyone wake me up earlier?” Baekhyun retorts, clearly annoyed by his friends.

“We just wanted to watch you sleep,” Yixing shrugs and winks at the sleepy boy.

“Let’s go, boys. We’ve been holding up the plane, there’s another flight right after ours,” Mr. Kim says as he starts walking towards the plane’s exit.

As they pass by the flight attendants, one of them gives Baekhyun a dirty look for making everyone stay on the plane longer.

“Man, literally _everyone_ in the flying business is pissed off all the time” Baekhyun whines once they were out of earshot from the flight attendants.

“I don’t know, that one male flight attendant was kinda flirting with Junmyeon when he gave him his soda” Jongdae smirks, elbowing Junmyeon’s side as they walk through the airport.

“H-he was not!” Junmyeon stammers. “He was just polite…” he tries to justify. No one is convinced.

“Anyway, it feels good to stretch my legs!” Jongin exclaims, kicking his feet up while walking.

“Yeah, we’re too tall for those cramped plane seats,” Sehun adds.

“Can’t relate,” Kyungsoo mumbles.

They all laugh and Jongin rests his elbow on Kyungsoo’s head, only to be pushed away a second later. Jongin persists, and lightly scrapes his fingernails across the short haired boy’s scalp, since the boy had shaved his head only months before. Kyungsoo allows Jongin to touch him this time, shivering at the tingles that radiate from his skull down to his back. Jongin giggles at his bodily response, then runs ahead to catch up with Sehun.

They reach the gate for their next flight and part of the group splits off to use the bathroom. Baekhyun takes a seat in between Jongin and Kyungsoo, who are discussing the classes they would be taking next year. He doesn’t notice the disappointment drawn across Kyungsoo’s face when he separated Jongin from Kyungsoo.

“Who do you have for English, Baekhyun?” Jongin asks. “Kyungsoo has Mr. Lee, and we were just talking about how great he is.”

“Oh, I have Mr. Lee too! Minseok had him and said he’s really cool.”

“I have Mr. Yang, unfortunately,” Jongin says with a grimace.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’ll be there to suffer with you,” Sehun pats Jongin’s head as he walks over and squats crisscrossed onto the ground in front of the three boys. “Jongin and I have all our classes together next year, just like we have the past three years of high school!” Sehun beams.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it. You guys are soulmates, or whatever,” Junmyeon deadpans as he returns from the bathroom, taking a seat across from the group. Sehun laughs nervously and Jongin blushes a little, glancing at Kyungsoo. Yixing returns as well and sits on the floor between Junmyeon’s legs, who proceeds to play with Yixing’s hair.

Minseok and Jongdae come back from the bathroom together, hair looking a bit disheveled, and sit on either side of Junmyeon. They have another hour until their next flight, so the boys pull out their maps again and estimate the miles in between each campsite. Junmyeon, Yixing, and Minseok talk about the colleges they’re going to while Junmyeon continues running his hands through Yixing’s hair, where beneath them Baekhyun and Jongin are sprawled across the floor, drawing lines on the map. Jongdae, Sehun, and Kyungsoo play a game of Go Fish next to them. The game apparently gets intense because Sehun throws down his cards in frustration and walks away from the group. Jongdae whines that all the cards from his brand-new deck are now everywhere, and the rest of the boys laugh at Sehun’s outburst. Kyungsoo gets up to retrieve Sehun before he gets lost.

“Seems like someone couldn’t get any fish!” Junmyeon jokes, earning him several looks of unamusement from his friends. He clears his throat and continues his conversation with Minseok, Yixing practically falling asleep below him, while the rest go back to their activities.

The plane arrives, and people start boarding, so the boys pack everything up and repeat the whole process. This time, Baekhyun sits with Yixing and gets a window seat. The short flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque mainly consisted of the boys marveling at the mountains below them, Baekhyun getting very nice pictures that he can’t wait to post when they land, and more talk of excitement for the well-anticipated trip that they are finally about to embark on.

A bus takes them from the airport to a hotel, where they will stay the night before finally getting to Philmont and starting their adventure.

It’s late when they arrive at the hotel, where the staff provides them with a late meal and free water bottles with carabiners.

“Great! Now I can carry more ounces of water when we hike!” exclaims Minseok.

“Only _you_ would get excited about that,” Jongdae remarks.

“Hey man, hydrate or diedrate,” Baekhyun adds. Jongdae shrugs and punches a smirking Minseok lightly on the arm.

After eating, they go straight to their assigned rooms and take showers, since they won’t be able to bathe themselves for 10 days on the trail. Baekhyun was not looking forward to being so sweaty, smelly, and dirty for longer than even a day, but it was all part of the experience, he convinces himself.

“You can shower first,” Baekhyun offers to Junmyeon.

He had wanted to room with Minseok, obviously, but Minseok had promised Jongdae that he would room with him. But, the eldest boy insisted that he would still spend time with Baekhyun. Baekhyun didn’t try to argue because he knew they probably wanted to room together so that they could fool around, anyway.

After posting his plane photos on Instagram and scrolling through his feed for a few minutes, he grows bored and decides to explore. He finds Sehun and Jongin’s room and gives the door a light knock. No response. He puts his ear to the door and hears the mattress squeaking. _Oh, dear lord, please don’t be doing what I think you’re doing,_ he thinks to himself as he slowly opens the door, covering his eyes.

“Oh, hey Baekhyun!” he hears Jongin exclaim over the still squeaking mattress. Baekhyun uncovers his eyes to see the two boys jumping on the beds. He sighs in relief and smiles at their childish, and thankfully innocent, activity. They stop bouncing in sync, Jongin cocks his head to the side, and Sehun jumps off his bed and skips over to Baekhyun.

“You okay, Baek?” The younger boy asks, concerned. Baekhyun walks past him and lets himself fall backwards onto the bed.

“I’m fine,” he sighs, “just tired from traveling. And kinda lonely.” Both boys lie down on either side of him and stare at the ceiling.

“I just, I don’t know. You two have each other, and Jongin, you also have a connection with Kyungsoo,” Jongin blushes at the comment, “and Minseok and Jongdae obviously have something going on,” Baekhyun continues. “Even Junmyeon and Yixing seem to click really well. But me, I’m just…I don’t know…here, I guess. Minseok is my best friend, but he loves Jongdae. Sometimes, I just wish that I had someone like how Minseok has Jongdae. And how you guys have each other.”

Jongin sits up and starts running his fingers through Baekhyun’s shiny hair. Sehun takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment; “You’ll find someone, Baek. You’re young! You’re only 17, you have your whole life ahead of you. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a cute boy at Philmont,” he teases. Baekhyun lightly hits him in the stomach and tries to hide his smile.

“And besides,” Jongin adds, “you have us! We’re pretty cool, you know. We might not be able to give you the love you’re looking for, but we’ll always be here for you.”

“Yeah!” Sehun affirms with a grin.

Baekhyun sits up and looks at his two friends, then reaches out on either side of him to ruffle their matching hair styles: tousled black hair that looks effortlessly cool. Baekhyun admires how the two boys were so close that even their hair was the same. He pulls them in for a group hug. “Thanks guys, I really needed that.”

“Of course!” Jongin smiles.

“That’s what friends are for.” Sehun heaves himself off the bed and turns back around to face Baekhyun. “Also, you should talk to Minseok if you feel like he’s neglecting you for Jongdae. I’m sure you guys can work it out.”

Baekhyun realizes that Sehun could be really wise when he wanted to be.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

 

***

 

The next morning, Mr. Oh goes around to each room to wake up the boys. Baekhyun groans and rolls over, pulling his pillow over his head.

“C’mon Baekhyun, we’re going to Philmont today!” Junmyeon yells encouragingly. “ _The_ Philmont Scout Ranch, the place we’ve been dreaming of since we were 12 years old. Get up!” Junmyeon throws his pillow at Baekhyun, who sighs and reluctantly rolls out of bed, pulling the thick hotel comforter off the bed with him.

 

Another bus picks them up at the hotel and takes them to Philmont. Baekhyun stares out the window at the vast expanse of flatlands on either side of them, with mountains at the horizon. He had never seen terrain like this before. In awe, he pulls out his camera and takes several pictures, trying to keep his hands steady as the bus rattled from the bumpy road. The air buzzes with talk from all the boys about how excited they are for the adventure that became closer and closer with every passing minute.

The first thing Baekhyun sees when the bus pulls up to Philmont’s base camp is the large sign. It is about 20 feet tall; a wooden sign that spells out PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH CAMPING HEADQUARTERS held up by thick wooden poles that appeared to be logs. Thrown across the top of the sign are countless pairs of boots tied together by the laces, draped over the letters, making it hard to read. Baekhyun guesses that they were left by previous campers who had wrecked their boots on the trail, and he wonders how old some of those boots were. He snaps a few photos before everyone yells at him to catch up. The next thing he sees is a huge mountain overlooking the entire base camp. It has a triangular peak, and the whole east side of it is completely bare, showing off a rocky cliff face.

“That’s the Tooth of Time,” says a deep voice from behind him.

Baekhyun snaps out of his state of awe and spins around to see a tall man behind him. _Is he a man? Perhaps a boy_ , Baekhyun considers. He is tall and intimidating, but his soft features and large ears give him a youthful look. He’s cute. Baekhyun stares at him, just like he was staring at the mountain only seconds before.

“Um…what?” Baekhyun was in a daze.

The taller boy chuckles, “That mountain you were ogling at? It’s called the Tooth of Time. See how it looks like a tooth?” He points behind Baekhyun.

The shorter boy follows the taller’s finger with his eyes and looks back at the mountain. His brain finally starts to function again.

“Oh! R-right! That’s, uh, cool,” Baekhyun replies, trying his hardest not to appear flustered.

The tall boy chuckles again. “I’m Chanyeol, by the way. I’ll be your ranger for the start of your trek.” Baekhyun then realizes that his whole troop had been standing around him the entire time, and that the cute boy is now addressing everyone, not just him. He looks around, realizes everyone is staring at him, then backs up to join everyone, leaving Chanyeol in the center of their semicircle to introduce himself.

“This is my first year as a tour guide, so please cut me some slack if I don’t do everything right. I came to Philmont as a camper when I was 14, and I’ve been waiting to come back ever since. This is probably my favorite place on Earth,” he smiles shyly, and Baekhyun can’t help but smile too, because God, this boy is so adorable. “I turn 17 in November and will be starting my senior year of high school this fall.”

 _So, he’s younger than me?_ Baekhyun ponders for a moment. 

Chanyeol continues; “This is just a summer job, but I’m hoping I can continue to be a guide for more summers to come. Alright! Enough about me,” he claps his hands together once and rocks back and forth on his heels, “I’ll give you a quick tour of base camp, then help you gather the supplies you need, as well as your food supply for the first three days. There are stops along your itinerary where you will pick up your food, that way you won’t be carrying 10 days’ worth of food.”

There is a collective chuckle shared amongst the group at the thought of carrying all that extra weight. It was bad enough with their current supplies, but with the added 5 pounds from the tent, a few more pounds from troop supplies split up among the boys, and another _God knows how many_ pounds from the food, it would be quite the struggle. But, the troop had been preparing for the past year to be physically fit enough to handle the strenuous trip, so the worst of Baekhyun’s worries would be the sore muscles that extensive hiking would earn him.

“Now if you’ll all follow me, I’ll show you to your tents for the night where you can put your packs.”

Chanyeol starts walking, and Baekhyun scurries up to the front of the troop to walk closer to him. Chanyeol chats with the adults, asking where they are from and about their troop. Baekhyun stays silent, but listens intently to everything Chanyeol says, taking in his smooth deep voice.

“And here we have Tent City.”

It is appropriately named. Spread out in front of them are rows and rows of small platform tents. The tents are large enough for two small cots and a decent amount of head space, unlike the small tents they will use on the trip. The rows really seem to be endless, and Baekhyun wonders how many people stay at Philmont all at one time. He pulls his camera out of his pocket and takes a photo, then continues to follow the group into the maze of tents. Luckily there are signs that label every row and section.

Baekhyun shares a tent with Minseok, since the older boy had felt bad for neglecting his younger friend. Minseok also agreed to tent with Baekhyun on the trail as well, which he was very pleased about. Their tents are right next to the building with the bathrooms, which Minseok is grateful for since he would probably have to pee in the middle of the night from excessive hydration.

They put down all their stuff and follow Chanyeol to a building in the center of the camp. Chanyeol explains all the supplies they would be given, and Baekhyun is so captivated by his voice that he barely processes any of what the tall boy says.

After all the logistics were gone over and supplies were collected, they head to the mess hall for lunch. A tall flag pole stood in the center of a large space where several other troops gather, waiting to go into the mess hall. The pole holds a bright yellow flag with a deep red symbol in the center, an outline of a circle with 3 lines on each side extending out in the four directions of a compass. Chanyeol informs them that it is the New Mexico flag. Baekhyun took a photo of it blowing majestically in the wind, then a photo of all the people around him.

He hadn’t seen this many Boy Scouts all in one area since the National Scout Jamboree his troop had gone to in Washington D.C. a few years back. You could differentiate each troop by the different uniforms and colors they were wearing; some had the typical Scout attire, collared shirts with badges and neckerchiefs, whereas a couple troops even had full on kilts. Baekhyun took a photo of the boys who were shamelessly wearing the plaid Scottish skirts. Other troops had more casual looks, like Baekhyun’s troop that opted for moisture-wicking purple T-shirts with their troop number and town name on the front. Baekhyun had helped design the shirt, and although it was quite simple, he was proud of it. For some reason, the majority of the troop had voted for the shirts to be purple, but Baekhyun wasn’t complaining because he actually looked really good in it.

All the rangers gather at the center where the flag pole is. There is a short, circular rock structure, and four rangers step up onto it and wrap their arms around each other, so as to not fall off. The rest of the staff form lines behind each of the standing people on the wall, two rows of people facing each other with their arms out to form a gurney. The circle of people half sing, half chant a song about Philmont, and the rest of the rangers around them join in. Baekhyun is extremely confused, and as he looks around he could see that his friends are too. But seeing Chanyeol up there, yelling and smiling from ear to ear makes Baekhyun extremely happy. He wasn’t sure how, but he had already fallen for this guy, with his curly mess of brown hair, his kind eyes, his big ears, his bright smile, his everything. Baekhyun is smitten. And only after a few hours of knowing the guy! It felt like he had whiplash from how aggressively his emotions shifted.

The strange Philmont chant finishes, and the four rangers on the wall do trust falls into the arms of the staff on the ground. Everyone cheers and claps, unsure of what just occurred, but still entertained. Troops are then called a few at a time to enter the mess hall so that it isn’t a total stampede. Chanyeol joins them again and leads them into the building.

Lunch was a shit show. The hall was loosely organized, with people waiting in lines for the food and long tables in neat rows, but the chaos of people all in one confined space filled Baekhyun with anxiety. He was fine once they were seated, but he did not like the experience at all. It was too loud and hectic. He looked forward to the meals out on the trail; even if the quality of the food wasn’t as good, he would be surrounded by nature and his friends, peaceful and content.

They were given time after lunch to roam the base camp and check out the souvenir shop. It is huge; if he didn’t know where he was, Baekhyun would just assume this was a sports/camping store in a mall or something. They have basically everything there: souvenirs like magnets and maps and shirts, as well as camping supplies like water bottles, first aid kits, sweatshirts, socks, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, pocket knives, mugs and bowls and sporks, daypacks, toiletries and for some reason, some cheap plastic ukuleles in colors like blue and green. Someone could probably show up to Philmont with an empty backpack and a load of cash and leave the store completely equipped for the trek. The best things in the store, Baekhyun thinks, are the large golden belt buckles with _Philmont Scout Ranch_ and other designs engraved on them; they’re the type of buckles that you would imagine a cowboy wearing in a western movie. Baekhyun brought a little bit of cash with him, so he promises himself that he will buy a T-shirt when they come back to base camp at the end of their trip.

 

***

 

That night, there is an opening campfire. Actors dressed up as cowboys and old-timey folks act out scenes and sing songs about the history of Philmont, how it was owned by some guy who then sold the land to Boy Scouts to preserve the nature and allow Scouts to enjoy it for many generations. Baekhyun finds the performance very cheesy, but he has to admit that it was quite entertaining, and he’s a sucker for acoustic guitar. He knew he would be humming that last song to himself for the next few days. The rest of his troop enjoyed the campfire and continue to talk about the handsome cowboys with their rugged features as they walk back to Tent City for the night.

Baekhyun has trouble sleeping from the excitement building up in his chest. Partly from the fact that tomorrow morning he would embark on the adventure of a lifetime, and partly from the fact he would spend 3 days with the handsome ranger. He wishes it were longer.

 

***

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this seems interesting so far! The next chapter will come soon. I'm sure at this point only a handful of my friends are reading this, so thank you all for your support <3 and if you don't know me and somehow stumbled upon this story, I hope you stay along for the ride!
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are welcome, I'd love to know what y'all think.
> 
> xoxo


	2. Hitting the Trail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The great thing about this being based off my personal experiences is that I can share all the crazy shit that happened. If I write someone ridiculous in this story, odds are it actually happened. The peanut butter sandwich, the red roof inn, the apple cake dessert, it's all real (;
> 
> 7/19/18

 

The troop woke up early, packed up, and went to the mess hall for breakfast. The staff did the Philmont chant again, as they do before each meal, and Baekhyun picked up a few phrases. The main chant was _“I wanna go back to Philmont!”_ with other verses in between that were yelled too quickly and incoherently for Baekhyun to understand. The yelling did wake him up a bit though, and he squinted into the sun while staring admirably up at Chanyeol standing on the rock wall.

 

Baekhyun, being the picky eater he is, made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast rather than the runny eggs and greasy sausages being served that morning. He ran the bread through the toaster and slathered on a good portion of peanut butter and a glob of jelly. Before the troop left the hall, he made another sandwich to eat for later, wrapping it in napkins and tying it up in an empty bread bag. He stuffed it into the pocket of his cargo pants, hoping no one would notice the large bulge protruding from his thigh. Jongdae and Minseok caught him in the act, however, but they each made themselves a sandwich too, smiling knowingly at each other and hiding their secret snacks from the adults.

 

A rickety old school bus took them from the base camp to the trailhead where they would start their trek, and Baekhyun felt excitement bubble up in the pit of his stomach as the bus drove them along the dirt road.

 

 

***

 

 

“So, this is what we call a Red Roof Inn.” Chanyeol starts off his speech standing on the toilet lid, while everyone is crammed into the stall with him. The structure they’re currently in shares nothing in common with a Red Roof Inn except for the color of its roof. It’s just a latrine. Chanyeol had ushered the troop toward the latrine as soon as they got off the bus, and he demonstrated how small it was to everyone by having them all cram into the stall together. Why this was necessary, Baekhyun did not know. But he didn’t complain since this gave him an excuse to stand extremely close to the handsome ranger.

 

The “Red Roof Inn” is a typical outhouse consisting of two back-to-back stalls, each containing a toilet lid, and below that, a large pile of shit. Literally. Above the wooden walls is an A-frame red roof, like the name suggests, made of the type of metal roofing that makes a nice sound when it rains.

 

Following Chanyeol’s instructions, they all squeeze into the stall like clowns in a car. Baekhyun is crammed into the corner, Minseok on his right, and Chanyeol, even taller than before because of his toilet seat pedestal, is on his left. Baekhyun climbs up onto the seat to make room for the adults to fit in, and also so he could press his arm against Chanyeol’s. Mr. Oh is the last to enter and latches the door shut.

 

“It smells in here,” Jongdae whines.

 

“Ouch, watch where you step!” Junmyeon yelps when Minseok accidentally steps on his foot. Minseok mumbles an apology.

 

“This is one of the more luxurious restroom options we have,” Chanyeol jokes. “There are a few open-air latrines scattered around, if you’re brave enough to use them. But the majority of them are like this one, so you don’t need to worry too much about privacy.” A few of the boys scoff at the idea of shitting in the open for anyone to see, and Sehun giggles.

 

Chanyeol then goes into detail on the proper way to use the latrines; they are for solid waste only, since urine prevents proper decomposition in the pit, and also contributes to the smell.

 

Baekhyun feels conflicted; he is very close to a seriously attractive boy, their bodies basically pressed together, yet this boy is talking about literal shit. The situation is a turn on _and_ a turn off at the same time. Baekhyun tries not to focus on Chanyeol’s words, and instead he just tunes in to the deep resonance of his voice, the heat from his body, the gleam of sweat on his neck from the already scalding heat of the early afternoon. Chanyeol shifts his balance, accidentally pushing into Baekhyun a bit and he glances down at the shorter boy. Baekhyun feels his face get warm from embarrassment and hopes it only looks like a sunburn. He breaks their eye contact, and Chanyeol continues his lecture on latrine use.

 

Baekhyun breathes a sigh of relief once he is out in the open again.

 

“Next, we’ll go over navigation. Who has the maps?”

 

Junmyeon digs through his pack and pulls out the maps and a few compasses, then hands them to Mr. Zhang to distribute among the boys.

 

“Can we sit in the shade? It’s too damn hot,” Sehun complains.

 

“Language,” nips Mr. Oh.

 

Sehun frowns, but keeps his mouth shut.

 

“Sure, let’s spread out a map over here,” Chanyeol walks over to a steep cliff in the hill that provides a large enough patch of shade below it for the twelve people to sit comfortably.

 

Baekhyun notices some cacti nearby with beautiful pink flowers blossoming on it, so he quickly takes out his camera and snaps some close-ups of the unfamiliar plants. He had only ever seen cacti in photos, as well as the ones that people keep in pots as house plants. Walking back to the group, he figures he’d snap a shot of the whole troop gathered around the map, since his camera is already out. This is a good chance to get a photo of Chanyeol.

 

 _It’s not creepy, I’m just capturing memories!_ Baekhyun tells himself when he realizes it could seem stalkerish to be taking unsolicited photos of a cute boy. _He’s our ranger, he’s part of the group! No one will suspect anything, I just like to take lots of pictures._

Then it dawns on Baekhyun, he would have to be very careful around Chanyeol, as not to arise any suspicion among his friends about his new crush. He knows they would all tease him to no end and make it _very_ obvious to Chanyeol. Yep, no one could know about his crush. He would probably die if Chanyeol found out.

 

Baekhyun squats down next to the boys surrounding the map as Chanyeol is demonstrating how to orient the map so that north on the map corresponds with north on the compass. Once that is set, Chanyeol points at the numbers running along the edges of the map.

 

“Now, does anyone know what these numbers along the sides are?” Chanyeol quizzes the group.

 

Junmyeon’s hand shoots up immediately, and Baekhyun hesitantly raises his hand as well, hoping to impress Chanyeol.

 

The ranger glances at Junmyeon, but then turns to Baekhyun and nods at him. “Go ahead, Baekhyun.”

 

Hearing his name leave Chanyeol’s lips is like music to his ears, and he instantly forgets what he was about to say. “Uh, they’re uh…” Baekhyun stumbles on his words, but then is brought back to his senses. “UTM coordinates,” he replies confidently.

 

“Excellent! You did your research,” Chanyeol praises.

 

Warmth flows through Baekhyun and he grins like an idiot. The direct attention and affirmation from the tall boy impact him heavily, more than he’d like to admit.

 

“And what does UTM stand for?” Chanyeol questions.

 

Junmyeon doesn’t even raise his hand this time and blurts out, “Universal Transverse Mercator!”

 

“Yep! Good job Junmyeon.” He smiles, and the leader beams back, proud of his knowledge.

 

Chanyeol continues, “This type of coordinates is useful when mapping smaller regions, rather than latitude and longitude coordinates, which cover a much wider scope. UTM uses a metric grid system, much like an X and Y axis. So, if we wanted to pinpoint where we are right now,” Chanyeol traces along the horizontal line from their current spot until he reaches the edge. Baekhyun notices how large Chanyeol’s hands are, just like how everything else about him is big. _His height, his ears, his eyes, his smile, his hands, and even…_ he blushes at the next thought that his dirty mind brings him to. He shakes the thought from his head and focuses back onto what Chanyeol is saying. “The eastings for our location would be approximately 4048500, and the northings…” Chanyeol drags his finger down the map to the numbers at the bottom, “would be approximately 502000.”

 

The blushing blonde boy can’t help but admire how gentle Chanyeol’s hand movements are across the map, the light touches are such a big contrast to his large, calloused hands. _I wonder how those hands would feel across my—nope, nope, stop it Baekhyun._ He sighs heavily, trying to rid himself of these thoughts. _Pull yourself together._

 

Minseok glances across the circle at Baekhyun, who is shaking his head and huffing to himself. No one else seems to notice, but the elder boy can see that his best friend is having an internal struggle. He makes a mental note to pull Baekhyun aside and interrogate him when he gets a chance.

 

 

***

 

 

The first few steps on the trail are exciting and new. The sun glares down on them and the orange dirt below them kicks up small clouds of dust. Soon enough, the group becomes split into 3 groups: the tall boys lead the pack, with their long legs and strong stamina; behind them are the average height boys, who just can’t keep up; and dragging behind are the adults, who lack the same youthful energy as the Scouts.

 

Baekhyun starts to get annoyed at the large gap between him and the boys in the front, because no matter how hard he tries to catch up, they just seem to get further and further, and his legs hurt more and more. Eventually, Minseok yells ahead asking them to stop.

 

A minute later they are all gathered together again.

 

“You guys are way too fast for us,” Minseok huffs between ragged breaths.

 

“Well, it’s not our fault your legs are short,” snickers Sehun, which earns him a kick in the shin from Junmyeon.

 

Chanyeol, who is obviously a part of the taller group, and also the only mature one apparently, mediates the conflict. “Why don’t we have someone else lead the group and set a slower pace?” He looks among the shorter boys, and his gaze lands on Baekhyun.

 

Suddenly, all eyes are on Baekhyun. “Um, yeah, I can lead if you guys want.” Everyone seems to agree based on the nods and hums that circle around him. “Minseok, lead with me so I’m not alone at the front.”

 

The oldest pushes his sweaty black hair away from his forehead and nods. “Sure man, I’ll lead with you.”

 

The group continues, Baekhyun and Minseok leading a steady pace at the front, Yixing and Chanyeol conversing behind them, and the rest of the boys, tall and short, scattered in between.

 

Sehun and Jongin continue to sneak up to the front, only to be scolded by Minseok and pushed to the back of the group with the adults.

 

Baekhyun feels slightly self-conscious knowing Chanyeol is right behind him, slightly embarrassed at his snail-like pace, so he hikes as fast as he can without wanting to pass out. He admits that his stamina sucks, and usually feels like taking a break every five minutes, so he lets Minseok decide when to take breaks instead, and just pushes himself in between breaks, one foot in front of the other until he can stop and let the aching in his legs drain out. _Hiking is fun, but also a pain in the ass_ , Baekhyun thinks to himself. _Well, a pain everywhere_.

 

Finally, when they are about half a mile in, they take a water break. Baekhyun collapses to the ground, not giving a fuck about the dirt that would end up stuck to his backside. His throat feels like sandpaper, and he chugs his water as if he’s been stuck in the desert for days, when really, it’s only been 20 minutes since his last drink. _Hydrate or diedrate_ , he shrugs to himself.

 

He brings his Nalgene bottle away from his mouth, gasping in satisfaction and wiping the water from his chin. He glances up to see Chanyeol looking at him, but the tall boy looks away just as quickly, pretending to fiddle with his boot laces. Baekhyun smirks to himself, feeling giddy inside. _Did I really just catch Chanyeol looking at me?_ The pessimistic side of his brain kicks in and tells him that the young ranger was probably just staring at the way he gulped down his water like his life depended on it, and then looked away after being caught judging. His smile fades. _Yeah, why would he be looking at me anyway?_

 

Their first stop on the itinerary is the world’s first discovered T-rex footprint. Due to Baekhyun’s bad luck and poor navigation skills, they miss the side trail that leads to the footprint site and go half a mile past it before Junmyeon stops the group and checks the map again.

 

“Well this is a _great_ start to the trek,” Sehun groans. Jongdae slumps to the ground dramatically, causing his pack to lean into Kyungsoo’s legs, who sighs and kicks his pack.

 

“It’s alright guys, we didn’t go that far. Let’s just turn around and keep our eyes peeled for the trail!” Yixing says encouragingly.

 

“He’s right! It’s no big deal,” Junmyeon adds, patting Yixing on the shoulder.

 

“That’s the spirit,” Chanyeol grins.

 

Jongdae jumps up and brushes himself off. “Well! Let’s get a move on then. We have a badass dinosaur fossil to see!”

 

 

***

 

 

The trail was actually very hidden, which Baekhyun finds annoying, but also relieving that he wasn’t a complete idiot for missing it. They reach the site, and it isn’t what Baekhyun was expecting. Well, he doesn’t know _what_ he was expecting, but a fenced cage around a big lump of rock is not it. Apparently, a Scout in the past broke off a piece of the fossilized footprint, so for the sake of preservation, a cage was built around the two footprints.

 

It’s honestly not much to see, but there are several signs around the cage explaining how the footprints were preserved, when they were discovered, and some information about T. rexes. The mud that the dinosaur stepped in acted as a mold and was filled with clay and sediment which hardened over time, and due to erosion, the rock formation was flipped over, so the footprint molds stuck out from the ground.

 

After taking some photos and reading all the signs, (Baekhyun’s favorite sign was the one with a photo comparing the sizes of a T. rex, a human, and a “minibear,” which is Philmont slang for squirrels and chipmunks) the troop finds a shady spot to sit and eat lunch.

 

“I’ll trade you my oatmeal raisin cookie for your clif bar.” Sehun offers to Yixing.

 

“Ew, no, I hate raisins. How ‘bout your nutter butters?” Yixing barters.

 

“Hm…okay.”

 

Baekhyun hears Chanyeol groan and he glances over to see that the curly headed boy had spilled his Gatorade powder everywhere _except_ for inside his water bottle. Baekhyun jumps up, suddenly feeling brave, and crouches next to Chanyeol.

 

“Here, you can have mine,” he says shyly, handing his packet to Chanyeol.

 

The ranger looks up at Baekhyun, eyes sparkling, and a smile spreads across his face. “Really?” he asks the smaller boy, who nods in response.

 

“I’m not a fan of this flavor anyway, and I feel bad that you spilled yours.”

 

Chanyeol exhales a short laugh and facepalms. “I can be a mess sometimes.”

 

Baekhyun giggles and sits down next to him. “Me too,” he admits.

 

“Hey!” Chanyeol exclaims suddenly, catching Baekhyun off guard. “Let me give you something in exchange for the Gatorade packet.” He proceeds to pull out every single packaged item from the food bag and spreads them out in front of him. Baekhyun opens his mouth to protest, but the younger boy looks straight at him, effectively stunning him.

 

“Please, pick something! I’d feel bad if you gave me your Gatorade for nothing in return.”

 

“It’s fine really…” Baekhyun starts, but Chanyeol’s gaze is insistent, so he sighs and assesses the snacks. “I’ll take the sunflower seeds?” Baekhyun says, slightly unsure.

 

“They’re all yours,” Chanyeol beams, handing the bag over to Baekhyun. Their hands touch briefly as Baekhyun takes the bag, and Baekhyun hopes that Chanyeol didn’t feel how sweaty his hands are.

 

Jongin ends up eating almost half of Baekhyun’s crackers, and when they are all finished, they hit the trail once again.

 

 

***

 

 

Their campsite for the first night is really just an open space in a small valley between two hills. They all throw down their packs and Chanyeol gathers everyone’s attention.

 

“I have a lot of cool skills to teach you guys today,” he smiles and looks around to all the boys, who look back expectantly. Baekhyun gives the ranger an encouraging smile to let him know he’s interested. “We already went over latrine use and navigation, so now we have to cover campsite set up and cooking. I’m not sure how much you all learned prior to coming here, but do you know what the ‘Bearmuda Triangle’ is?”

 

The boys all grin at the humorously named set-up and nod.

 

“Perfect.” Chanyeol grabs a stick from the ground and draws a triangle in the dirt. “The three points of the Bearmuda Triangle are the kitchen area, the bear bag, and the sump.”

 

Realizing they are in for another speech, a few boys sit down on a nearby log.

 

“The sump is where we pour the water from cleaning dishes, although not all campsites have one. Since this one does not have a sump, we can make a makeshift sump out of a bag and pine needles. I’ll show you how to do that when we clean up after dinner, as well as how to hang a bear bag, since we will have to put up the food and smellables.”

 

Sehun fakes a yawn and Mr. Oh gives him a warning glare.

 

Oblivious to Sehun’s antics, Chanyeol continues. “As you probably know, this set up is used to concentrate all potential bear-attracting smells in one location, with our tents being outside of this triangle. This makes it safe for us and for the bears, since we are sharing this land with them and want to leave as little of an impact as possible. I will also go over Leave No Trace later.”

 

Chanyeol reaches into his bag and pulls out a few potato-sack-looking bags and some coils of rope.

 

“Kinky,” Jongdae whispers in Baekhyun’s ear, who elbows him in the ribs.

 

“Shut up, you freak. Why is everything rated M in your mind?” Baekhyun hisses.

 

Minseok overhears and tries to hold back a laugh.

 

“See? He likes it,” Jongdae says, pointing at Minseok.

 

Baekhyun groans and rubs his eyes. “You guys are gross.”

 

Chanyeol leads the group to the edge of the forest, assessing the trees. He finds some satisfactory trees and guides the boys through hanging the ropes. It takes several tries and several different boys to try and throw the rope over a branch and actually have it stay, so finally, when Jongin gets the rope over a high branch, the whole group cheers.

 

They then set up their tents 50 feet away from the Bearmuda Triangle in a randomized “cluster” pattern, which Chanyeol explains that it is used so if an animal wanders into their tent area it won’t feel trapped, or something like that. Baekhyun imagines getting kicked in the skull through the tent by a panicking deer, just because he put his tent in a bad location. He gives Minseok the liberty of deciding where to put the tent.

 

Dinner for that night is chicken fried rice. They boil water with a small backpacking stove and throw in six packets of the freeze dried food.

 

 

“I’m _starving_ ,” Jongin moans, practically mesmerized by the stirring of the pot.

 

“It’s almost ready,” Kyungsoo reassures him. “Just…” he checks the timer on his watch, “two more minutes.”

 

“Thank God,” Sehun grumbles, with similar sentiments being said by the rest of the boys.

 

The group prepares their mess kits, which consist of bowls and sporks, and when the food is done, Kyungsoo serves them all heaping spoonfuls from the huge pot.

 

As they eat, the only sounds are of chewing, birds chirping, and the wind blowing. Although they didn’t hike a lot that day (and they had much longer days to come), the boys were worn out and hungry. It was nice to have a hot, savory meal after their dry lunch.

 

After cleaning the mess kits and cooking pot, and then creating a makeshift sump to collect the leftover food particles, Chanyeol set up the pot on the stove again.

 

Curious, Baekhyun goes over and sits on the log next to the ranger. “What are you doing?”

 

“I try to bring some pound cake for each of my crews to enjoy the first night, but I couldn’t get any this time and, well, I got creative,” he grins and raises his eyebrows at Baekhyun, then dumps a bag of powder into the pot.

 

“Is that…”

 

“Cake mix? Yeah,” Chanyeol chuckles, adding a measured amount of water and stirring it together. “I also have a can of apple pie filling. I thought I could make some sort of apple-cake-crumble-mix. I’ve actually never tried this, so I hope it turns out okay,” he smiles sheepishly, and Baekhyun feels his lips curl into a smile.

 

“That’s so sweet of you, and even sweeter to try to make something for us,” Baekhyun says, feeling butterflies in his stomach. Chanyeol adds the apples to the pot, and Baekhyun is suddenly aware of how close he is to the young ranger. He wonders if it’s the stove or his nerves that are making him feel feverish.

 

Minseok plops down next to Baekhyun and stares questioningly at the pot.

 

“Chanyeol is making us dessert,” Baekhyun says before Minseok can make a shady comment.

 

“That’s nice.” Minseok tries to assess the unidentifiable blobs inside the pot. He sniffs and makes a face. “Is it burning?”

 

Chanyeol snaps back to reality and looks into the pot, stirring it around. “Uh…kinda,” he replies, firmly stirring the mix in hopes of reviving it. Baekhyun takes a peek and sees that there are some brown spots, but otherwise it looks okay.

 

The dessert is a hit among the troop.

 

“You know, I didn’t think this would be good, but I’m impressed.” Jongdae says.

 

Yixing turns to his dad. “It tastes kinda like mom’s apple crumble, don’t you think?” Mr. Zhang nods in agreement, his mouth full.

 

Minseok leans in close to Baekhyun, his mouth next to the blonde’s ear. “Your boyfriend is a good cook,” he whispers. The blonde boy’s eyes widen as he stares at his best friend in shock.

 

“What?! Minseok what do you-”

 

“We’ll talk later,” the older boy says softly, smirking. Baekhyun shifts uncomfortably on the log, glancing at Chanyeol to make sure he didn’t hear.

 

 

***

 

 

That night, as Baekhyun and Minseok crawl into their tent, Baekhyun zips the door shut and wacks Minseok on the arm.

 

“What the fuck Baek? What was that for?” he yells softly.

 

Baekhyun scoffs in disbelief. “What about your comment at dinner? That was uncalled for!” Baekhyun whisper-yells back.

 

Realization washes over Minseok, and he grins. “I was just teasing you. I know you more than you know yourself, Baek, I can see your little crush on Chanyeol.”

 

Baekhyun shushes him, “Dude, not so loud, these tents don’t block out sound you know.” He falls backwards onto his sleeping bag, faded hair splaying out against his makeshift pillow, which is a rolled-up sweater. “How…what gave it away?” He mutters sheepishly.

 

Minseok sighs, “I just see it in the way you look at him, and you were lowkey flirting at dinner to be honest.”

 

“I-I was not!” he hisses in denial.

 

Minseok hums in disagreement. “It’s kinda cute actually, seeing you crush on someone.”

 

They hear soft laughter from Sehun and Jongin’s tent adjacent to theirs, and they pause, listening intently. Deciding that they younger boys probably didn’t hear their conversation, Baekhyun continues. “What am I gonna do, Minnie?” he whines.

 

“Well, _Baekkie_ ,” Minseok uses a nickname in return, “you could either ignore your feelings since you’ll probably never see him again after this, _or_ , you could totally go for it since you’ll never see him again after this.”

 

Baekhyun gives his best friend a look, and sighs. “I don’t do flings, Minseok, I’m too emotional for that. Even if I did get with him, by some miracle, I don’t even know where he’s from. It probably wouldn’t work out. Besides, he probably doesn’t feel the same way,” he sighs again.

 

“Have more confidence in yourself, Baek! You’re a real catch. I’d totally bone you if we weren’t such good friends.”

 

“That rule didn’t apply with Jongdae, I guess,” Baekhyun teases. Minseok shoves him lightly, and falls back onto his sleeping bag, both of the boys staring up at ceiling of the small green tent.

 

“I mean, ever since you got your heart broken by-”

 

“ _Don’t_ say her name,” Baekhyun pleads.

 

 Minseok changes his wording, “Ever since your, uh, last girlfriend, I think you really deserve someone who loves you right.” Baekhyun sighs, reminiscing on when he was actually in a happy relationship before it went to shit.

 

Minseok continues, “Girls are overrated, in my opinion. Chanyeol seems really sweet, I think you should give it a shot.”

 

Baekhyun sighs for the nth time, feeling like all the sighing in the world still wouldn’t be cathartic enough. “We’ll see how the next two days go, I guess,” he breathes. “I’m a real pussy though, so don’t get your hopes up.”

 

“I ship it so hard, Baek, I think it’ll work out.” Without even looking at Minseok, Baekhyun can hear the genuine smile in his voice.

 

The two boys read with their headlamps on, and as their eyes start drooping, Minseok sets an alarm on his watch, and they fall asleep to the sound of crickets and snoring boys.

 

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of their first day on the trail! I hope y'all are enjoying this so far. I really enjoy writing because it's such a nice creative outlet, and I can show my love for exo as well as my experiences backpacking. This month actually marks two years since I went to Philmont, which I think is pretty cool. I'm working on the third chapter so hopefully it'll be up in a few days!
> 
> ALSO: for photo references of the red roof inn, the dinosaur prints, and other stuff, I compiled some photos in a google folder, you can check that out here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1KZUahhyMkp685PUmwMFcmYdlufrFknOm  
> (just copy and paste the link)  
> I like to know what things and people look like when I'm reading, so if my descriptions aren't good enough you can check those out (;


	3. Their Time with the Ranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm not good at keeping up a writing schedule like some popular writers do. I'm busy with work and also get writers' block often.
> 
> This chapter is a bit shorter than the others so far, but I wanted to update before I go camping this weekend. Maybe when I come back I'll have more kudos (; 
> 
> If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors please let me know! You can DM me on Instagram @afewmorenights for corrections, comments, or if you just wanna say hi!
> 
> I hope you enjoy and that this chapter is not too cringe, because there were some parts where I was doubting myself, lol.
> 
> 8/10/18

Baekhyun wakes up to the bright green glow of the morning sun filtering through the tent. Suddenly remembering where he is, he sits up and glances at Minseok, who is still asleep. Figuring he has more time to sleep, he lies back down, only for Minseok’s alarm to go off a second later.  


Minseok groans, groping his hand around to find the beeping watch on the ground next to his sleeping bag. He reaches it and presses the off button. Minseok's bedhead gives him the appearance of a fluffy kitten. Baekhyun almost coos out loud at the sight of it.  


“What time is it?” Baekhyun asks, stretching his arms above his head. 

“it’s 6:30 am” Minseok replies.

“Ugh… it’s too early,” he whines.

“Well, it’ll be nice to start hiking before the sun gets too high and starts burning us alive.” Minseok retorts with a pointed look.  


Baekhyun shrugs. “I guess so.”

The boys hear abrupt singing from outside the tent: Junmyeon and Yixing belting out “Rise and Shine,” a song they knew all too well from being in Scouts.

_Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory…_

Groans emanate from Jongin and Sehun’s tent on their left, and from the right side Jongdae cries out a long and pained ‘ _whyyy???_ ’  


“Your boyfriend’s whining is more obnoxious than their singing,” Baekhyun comments.

 _Rise and shine and…_  


“At least I have one,” he mutters back.

“So, you _are_ together!” the blonde boy smirks, finally getting his best friend to admit it.

Minseok stutters, trying to defend himself, but gives up and sighs, his shoulders slumped. “Yeah, okay. I mean, I know everyone thinks we’re together anyway, and we basically act like we are, but we haven’t made it official yet,” he purses his lips, seemingly deep in thought.  


_Give God your glory, glory…_

Baekhyun ruffles the boy’s messy black hair. “You should ask him out! Ooh, you could make it romantic and ask him out on the top of a mountain or someth-”

His sentence is cut off by their tent zipper being ripped open and a smiling Yixing poking his head through the entrance. “RISE. AND. SHINE. AND.” –he gives a thunderous clap– “GIVE GOD YOUR GLORY GLORY–”  


Junmyeon’s head appears in the tent’s entrance and he joins in, “CHILDREN OF THE LORD!" 

“Yeah, yeah, okay, we’re rising and shining, _Jesus Christ_ ,” Baekhyun tells them, exasperated.  


“No, Baekhyunnie, it’s not _Jesus_ , it’s God! Give _God_ your glory glory!” Junmyeon chides.

“Yeah, Baekhyunnie,” Minseok teases, “it’s _God_ , not Jesus.” Baekhyun groans and Minseok laughs at him.

“It’s too early for this shit,” he sighs, shoving Yixing and Junmyeon out of the doorway so he can step out. Baekhyun slips his boots on and ties them half-assedly. The blonde can’t help but smile a _little_ at his friends’ obnoxious singing. They’ve all sung Rise and Shine together since they were kids and it brings back memories of summer camp.

  


“How did everyone sleep?” asks Mr. Kim.

A chorus of mumbles comes from the boys, obviously still half asleep.

“We need to pack up and hit the trail ASAP because it's gonna be a scorcher today,” Mr. Zhang explains, checking his watch. “Let’s be ready to leave at 7, and we can stop to eat breakfast somewhere along the way.”

  


The boys grab clothes from their packs and go in their tents to change. Yesterday, Baekhyun wore his purple troop shirt, so today he opts for a simple white moisture wicking shirt and his khaki shorts. He slips on his hiking boots and steps out of the tent, followed by Minseok. As they start to take down their tent, they see Yixing struggling with his tent poles and Kyungsoo standing across from him, facepalming. Junmyeon goes over to assist them, being the leader he is.

The bear bags are taken down and supplies are once again split up amongst the boys to carry. When they start to hike again, Junmyeon hands the map to Minseok, pointing at the path for Minseok and Baekhyun to take as they lead the group. Baekhyun realizes that he hasn’t seen Chanyeol yet that morning, and panics for a moment, thinking that maybe Chanyeol had already left. But, after looking around at the faces behind him, he spots the tall boy at the back of the group and heaves a sigh of relief. The ranger’s curly mop of hair is covered by a wide-brimmed hat that makes him look like a cowboy, and although his cargo shorts aren’t the most flattering, Baekhyun thinks he still looks attractive.

 

***

Their activity for the day is rock climbing, which excites Baekhyun. There’s something about the challenge and finding the right path that he really enjoys. And he’s not too bad at it, either.

They reach the location, which has a small cabin for the staff, next to a cliffside where they will be doing the climbing.

A staff member for the location hands them all helmets and harnesses, showing how to properly put them on. Again, Jongdae says a perverted comment about bondage under his breath, and again gets hit by Baekhyun.

Once their harnesses are on, Baekhyun feels a slap on his butt. Surprised and flustered, he twirls around to see his best friend giggling. “Dude, what the fuck?” he breathes, glaring at Minseok in disbelief.

“That harness really accentuates your ass, Baekhyunnie,” Minseok teases, eyeing him up and down.

Jongdae starts checking him out too. “You’re right Minseok, his ass looks pretty darn good.”

Baekhyun feels his face turning red. “You guys are so weird, stop looking at my ass.” He then notices in the corner of his eye that Chanyeol is standing somewhat close, and when Baekhyun turns to look at him, the ranger’s eyes travel up to meet his own, and then he quickly looks away, fumbling with the straps of his helmet. _Was he…? Was he checking me out?_

Minseok notices this and pats his younger friend on the back. “You’re welcome,” he whispers. Baekhyun then realizes why his two friends were suddenly being weird, and he groans. “Minseok, I swear to God,” he says through gritted teeth.

“Aww, my sweet Baekhyunnie,” Minseok drapes his arms around Baekhyun and pulls him in for a hug. Baekhyun sighs in defeat, accepting the fact that he can’t control his older friend and will have to endure his antics.

“Alright, boys! Are you ready to climb?” A staff member asks enthusiastically.

“Yeah!” the troop responds in unison.

 

 

***

After Minseok’s comment about his butt, Baekhyun is apprehensive about climbing and giving everyone below a great view of his backside. But, once he clips the carabiner in his harness, his mind goes into climbing mode.

He tugs on the rope to make sure it is securely fastened. “Climbing!” He yells to alert the staff belaying him.

“Climb away!” the belayer replies.

And away he climbs. He immediately finds good handholds in the rock face and pulls himself up, tip-toeing in a groove at knee level. He starts climbing like a pro, and he hears whistles from his friends below him. He hopes that the whistles are because of his skills, and not his ass.

About halfway up the cliff, it becomes more difficult to progress upward. The young scout is crouched into an uncomfortable position as he feels around the cliffside with his right hand for somewhere to hold. His muscles are starting to ache, but out of nowhere, he hears a deep voice yell from below.

“Come on Baekhyun, you got it!”

He looks down to see where the voice came from, but he gets dizzy and falls a bit, the rope catching him. If his hearing is correct, Baekhyun thinks the voice came from a certain ranger…but he isn’t sure.

At last, he finds a crack to dig his fingers into and hoists himself up a bit more, jamming his foot into a crevice he hadn’t seen previously. Cheers erupt from below him. Again, he hears that same voice, and this time he’s sure it is Chanyeol.

This boosts his confidence, and his eyes trace out a path leading up the rocks. The burning in his arms and legs seem to dissipate, and he continues to climb, piece of cake. Whooping and hollering float up from below and Baekhyun finally reaches the top. He looks down at all his friends and gives a victorious fist pump.

A staff member on top of the peak gives him a high five and asks if he’s ready to go back down, to which he nods. Grasping the rope with both hands and planting his feet on the rock face, he leans back until he is almost horizontal with the ground.

“Rappelling!” Baekhyun yells below, pacing his feet down the cliff.

“Rappel away!” his belayer yells back.

The belayer releases the rope bit by bit, lowering Baekhyun down until he is on the ground again.

Unclipping his harness, he feels a hand on his shoulder and he looks up. He is met with a pair of warm brown eyes, a few inches above his own line of vision, and his heart stops for a moment.

“Hey, you’re a great climber!” Chanyeol says, smiling and continuing to look into Baekhyun’s eyes.

The shorter boy feels his stomach do a flip, and he looks back down. “Thanks,” he replies bashfully. “I uh, heard you cheering for me, and it kinda motivated me.” Instant regret sets in and he mentally slaps himself for being so cheesy.

Chanyeol laughs softly. “You heard me over everyone else’s cheers?” he questions, one eyebrow quirked up, and when Baekhyun cringes slightly, Chanyeol laughs again. “I _can_ be pretty loud sometimes. But even before that, you were awesome.”

Before Baekhyun can thank him again, Jongdae whines, “quit holding up the line, who’s going next?” Chanyeol gently takes the rope from Baekhyun’s hands and passes it to Jongdae. “I guess you are, Jongdae,” the ranger chuckles. Jongdae grins and clips it onto his harness.

Baekhyun goes over and sits on a rock next to Minseok, sighing.

“So, you got yourself a cheerleader, huh?” Minseok murmurs, just loud enough for only Baekhyun to hear.

He scoffs. “Everyone else was cheering too, Minseok,” Baekhyun debates, trying to brush it off as no big deal, even though his heart was still pounding from his interaction with the cute ranger.

“Well, he _did_ start the cheering, Baek,” the older boy condescends. _I guess he did…_ Baekhyun realizes. It was relatively quiet during his climb until he started to struggle and then the loud encouragements from below started. And it _did_ start with that one phrase from Chanyeol himself.

_Come on Baekhyun, you got it!_

His words echo in Baekhyun’s head, the husky tone resounding into the corners of his mind.

 

 

 

***

After everyone got a turn climbing (even the adults), they continued their trek, hiking three miles along the trail to their next campsite. 

They set up camp and Chanyeol reviews the skills they learned the previous day. Then, he teaches First Aid, emergency procedures, and Philmont’s “Leave No Trace” rules. Baekhyun appreciates Philmont’s dedication to preserving the wildlife and protecting the land. As strange as it sounds, he loves hearing Chanyeol talk about it _. Jongdae would probably say I have a nature kink, or something weird like that,_ Baekhyun thinks to himself.

Their dinner is macaroni and cheese (freeze-dried, of course) with Cajun trail mix and shortbread cookies for dessert.

Earlier, when the troop was pitching their tents, Chanyeol put his right next to Baekhyun and Minseok’s tent, much to Baekhyun’s horror (and maybe excitement?) He didn’t really know how he felt about it, but it was overwhelming all the same.

Baekhyun lay in his sleeping bag, unable to sleep, his mind racing with thoughts of Chanyeol. He is hyper-aware of the boy’s presence five feet away from him, with only the two thin layers of their tents separating them. Finally, Baekhyun falls asleep; a toothy grin and big ears on his mind.

 

 

 

***

The troop doesn’t have to worry about getting up and hiking right away since the place they camped at the previous night is where they will be doing today’s activities. The adults take this to their advantage and make coffee using Mr. Oh’s portable java press. Sitting in a semi-circle on some logs, Baekhyun joins them, as he is one of the few boys in the troop that drink coffee. Minseok took a sip and decided he couldn’t drink it without any creamer, which they obviously _did not_ bring. So, Baekhyun and Sehun were the only boys drinking with the adults. This works out because the java press did not make that much anyway.

Baekhyun looks up from blowing on his cup to see that Chanyeol has sat next to him, a cup of coffee in his hands. 

With wide eyes, he turns and peers into the ranger’s cup, confirming that it is indeed coffee and not Gatorade or water. The younger boy chuckles at Baekhyun’s expression. “What, you didn’t expect me to like coffee?”

“Well, I mean,” Baekhyun stumbles on his words, his brain not fully functioning this early in the morning, “None of the guys like black coffee; I’m pretty sure Sehun brought packets of sugar, which is the only way he would be able to drink that right now,” he says, glancing at Sehun, who winces when he burns his tongue on the hot drink.

“I actually love black coffee. It’s an acquired taste, and I definitely acquired it from a young age,” a look of nostalgia flashes in his eyes. “I think coffee is best enjoyed without all that extra stuff, you know?” the ranger says, looking at Baekhyun with a soft expression.

“That’s exactly what I think!” the blonde exclaims, almost spilling his coffee from his sudden excitement. He is completely shocked and invigorated by the taller boy’s opinion and starts to blush because of their shared love for coffee. _I mean, how cute? We could go on coffee dates together and check out new cafes and-_ his train of thought is interrupted by the realization that he doesn’t even know where Chanyeol is from.

Embarrassed by his outburst, he breaks eye contact with Chanyeol and focuses his attention on the steaming cup in front of him. Glancing in the corner of his eye, however, he can see the ranger is still smiling at him.

They drink their coffee in a surprisingly comfortable silence until Mr. Kim urges them to finish up.

 

 

 

***

As usual, Baekhyun is very attentive to Chanyeol’s presence. While touring the abandoned gold mine, the blonde scout was extremely aware of Chanyeol’s tall stature behind him, even in the pitch-black of the deep cave. He hoped Chanyeol couldn’t hear his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

And during the blacksmithing presentation, Chanyeol sits next to him on the benches. Given it was the last seat, the ranger didn’t have much say in it, but Baekhyun still feels some satisfaction from that. However, he finds it hard to focus on the actor playing a historic blacksmith when an attractive boy is shoulder to shoulder with him.

Baekhyun is able to catch a breath when the blacksmith calls on Chanyeol to do a demonstration. Kyungsoo is called up to turn the crank that keeps the fire going, and Chanyeol is chosen to hammer the metal into shape.

Of course, Baekhyun had been attracted to boys before. There was Luhan, the pretty boy in his freshman math class, who rivaled most girls with his beauty. There was also a particularly hot trumpet player in marching band named Zitao, whose cool persona and black eyeliner intrigued Baekhyun. And obviously, his celebrity crushes like Johnny Depp and Brendon Urie.

But until this trip, he had never lusted over someone of the same sex. Seeing the way Chanyeol grips the hammer with his large, strong, hands; veins protruding; arm muscles rippling; deep-set concentration on his face as he focuses on striking the metal; Baekhyun is mesmerized. _Is it just me or is it really hot outside?_ he thinks to himself dumbly.

He can’t help but admire Chanyeol’s body, but at the same time, Baekhyun is a bit envious. He never did sports, and hiking was the only real physical activity he did. In comparison to the ranger’s lean muscles, Baekhyun feels like a soft noodle. _Chanyeol would never be attracted to me,_ he thinks, _…if he even likes guys at all. Which he probably doesn’t._

When the tall boy is done hammering the metal, the blacksmith actor holds up the finished product: an S hook. Curved into the lettered shape, it could be nailed to a wall and used to hang jackets, and the sort.

The hook is passed around for everyone to admire, and when Jongdae hands it to Baekhyun, he holds it gingerly in his hand, as if it is made of glass. He runs his finger along it delicately, tracing the curves where Chanyeol had hammered it only moments before.

 

 

 

***

Their last activity of the day is forest conservation, where the troop will help forming a trail.

“Great, manual labor,” Jongdae sighs sarcastically.

“It’ll be good for the ranch, Dae, think about the scouts in the future that will hike along this trail we help make!” Minseok replies encouragingly. Jongdae sighs again, resting his arm on Minseok’s shoulder, who leans into his touch.

Baekhyun smiles at Minseok’s optimism and remembers how lucky he is that his best friend came along on the trip to keep everyone’s spirits up.

The crew splits up into two groups, with Chanyeol being in the other group, much to Baekhyun’s dismay. But, he is with Minseok and Jongdae, so he isn’t completely disappointed.

A staff member leading the construction takes Baekhyun, Minseok, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo, as well as Mr. Zhang and Mr. Oh, down the trail to work where another group left off. The other group – consisting of Yixing, Jongin, Sehun, Junmyeon, Chanyeol, and Mr. Kim – are taken by another staff member to the trailhead.

Even without Chanyeol there, Baekhyun still thinks about him, wondering what he’s doing, how he’s feeling, if he’s drinking enough water. But when the blonde boy is tasked with chopping up a tree trunk in the middle of the path, he finds the repetitive motion to be distracting and calming in a way. He and Kyungsoo switch off hacking away at the stump, while the rest are given a speech on the “critical edge” of the trail and how to properly form it to prevent erosion and widening of the trail.

 

 

 

The troop does their usual nightly routine of setting up camp, eating dinner, playing some games, then going to bed. Mafia was their choice of game for the night. The players are given roles: the mafias, the angel, the detective, and the townspeople. The goal is for the mafia to kill everyone without getting caught, and for the innocents to figure out who the mafia are. During one round, Chanyeol was one of the mafias and no one suspected him at all, which resulted in all the townspeople being killed and Chanyeol coming out as the winner. Baekhyun was surprised at the ranger’s slyness and ability to go undetected. He truly did look innocent throughout the game and portrayed himself as a very convincing townsperson. It made the blonde boy wonder if Chanyeol was hiding any secrets.

 

 

 

Baekhyun found it hard to sleep that night, knowing Chanyeol would leave in the morning. It felt like he had known the ranger forever, yet their time together was so brief.

 

_I’ll probably never see him again…_

_And I’m too much of a wimp to ask for his number…_

_He probably lives hella far away anyway…_

_Ugh…_

Eventually, sleep overtook the young scout, and he dreamt of a universe where he and Chanyeol were together.

 

 

 

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof, Chanyeol is leaving the troop :( will Baek see him again? If so, when and where will they reunite? Stay tuned to find out (;
> 
> (that was cheesy I'm sorry)
> 
> photo references: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1KZUahhyMkp685PUmwMFcmYdlufrFknOm


	4. The Ranger's Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short update, but I wanted to get something out because it's been a while since I last updated and it seemed like a good place to stop rather than adding more to the end of this chapter.
> 
> I started school last week and am still adjusting to my dorm and new schedule and all that. So I'll have less time to write, but I will still try to do so as much as I can!
> 
> I'm still trying to decide what direction I want to take this story in, but I have a few ideas (; 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, please leave kudos if you like it and comment if you have anything to share!
> 
> 9/4/18

Today is the worst morning for Baekhyun on this trip so far. Not only does he have to wake up early, but he has to say goodbye to Chanyeol.

After packing up, Chanyeol gives them a farewell speech.

“These past few days with you guys have been really fun,” he starts, “and I’m grateful that I got such a great troop for one of my first treks as a ranger.” He smiles fondly. “I hope you all remember the skills I taught you and use them well on the rest of your trip.”

He glances around at each boy, his gaze lingering on Baekhyun before his eyes shift to someone else. Or did Baekhyun just imagine that? Maybe it felt like time slowed down as their eyes met. Baekhyun mentally shakes his head at the dramatic thought. _This isn’t a romance novel._

“Oh, also,” the ranger reaches into the pocket of his cargo pants, “as a parting gift, I have some Philmont Wilderness Pledge cards.” He starts passing them out. “Truthfully, I should have given these to you all when we went over Leave No Trace, but I forgot,” he looks down bashfully, a small smile hinted on his lips, and Baekhyun melts. No one seems to mind that Chanyeol gave them the cards belatedly.

Baekhyun inspects his card; it is business card-sized and an obnoxious shade of neon orange. An outline of the Tooth of Time is in the middle, with arching text over it saying _Philmont Wilderness Pledge_. Under the Tooth of Time is a long, dotted line, presumably for the Scout’s signature. In the bottom left corner is the signature of the Director of Program, and in the bottom right corner is the ranger’s signature. Baekhyun’s heart skips a beat as he reads the name _Park Chanyeol_ written in looping cursive. Slightly messy, like a doctor’s signature, but still legible enough for Baekhyun to decipher. His finger traces faintly over the hand-written signature, giddy at the idea of basically owning the ranger’s autograph. _Ugh, you’re so lame. He’s not a celebrity, and everyone else has it too_ , he reprimands himself. But his chest is still warm at the fact that he has a small piece of Chanyeol; a keepsake; a memory; a sentiment of his could-have-been-summer-romance-but-was-really-just-an-unrequited-crush.

Baekhyun flips the card over to read the back. The top says: _Through good Scout camping, I pledge to preserve the beauty and splendor of the Philmont Wilderness_. Below that are the rules to the pledge.

          I commit myself to:

  * An absence of litter and graffiti.
  * Respect for Philmont’s wildlife.
  * Conservation and proper use of water.
  * Respect for trails and trail signs.
  * Proper use of campsites.



For Baekhyun, this list seems like common knowledge, or at least common decency. _But not all people are decent_ , he muses. Still, when the pen is passed to him, he eagerly scrawls his name on the line above Chanyeol’s. _Byun Baekhyun_. In comparison to Chanyeol’s work-of-art signature, Baekhyun’s looks like it was written by an 8-year-old who just learned cursive. He sighs and hands the pen to Sehun.

Glancing up, he catches the eye of the ranger and waves his card around slightly as silent communication that he signed the card. Chanyeol gives him a big grin and a thumbs up, and Baekhyun flashes a shy smile in return. Breaking eye contact, the blonde puts the card safely in a small pocket of his backpack and heaves the large pack onto his shoulders, clipping in all the buckles and tightening the straps.

The troop heads down the trail toward their next destination, with Chanyeol tagging along. They reach a trail junction and Chanyeol stops and turns to face the group.

“Well, I gotta take this path back to base camp, while you guys will be heading that way,” he points to the trail leading in the opposite direction. “So, this is goodbye. Have a great trek, you guys!” He shakes hands with the adults and waves at the Scouts, walking backwards down the path. Baekhyun panics, trying to lock eyes with the tall boy one more time as a last goodbye. Luckily, Chanyeol glances at him, and Baekhyun thinks he sees the ranger’s gaze soften.

“Goodbye, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says bravely, his heart in his throat.

Chanyeol’s smile stretches further across his cheeks, and he winks at Baekhyun then turns away.

_Oh my god, did that really just happen?_

_Maybe his eye just twitched. Maybe you’re seeing things. Maybe –_ his mind keeps racing as Chanyeol says goodbye to the group one last time, looking over his shoulder and saluting with two fingers flicking out from his temple. He faces front and continues walking, walking away from the troop, walking away from Baekhyun. His heart breaks.

Minseok unfolds a map and squints at it. “Alright, so we’re here on the map, right? And we follow this trail and get to…Baekhyun, are you paying attention?” The blonde boy finally tears his eyes away from Chanyeol’s retreating back and looks at his best friend, who is holding the map and giving him a look. Baekhyun saw annoyance in his gaze, with a hint of sympathy. “Can we focus on where we need to go?”

“Right, yeah.” Baekhyun mentally pulls himself together, putting aside his overwhelming emotions for when he has time to wallow in his sadness. He peers over at the map, nodding and passively agreeing to Minseok’s travel plan.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

At this point, Baekhyun no longer had any clean clothes. The only upside to Chanyeol being gone was that he didn’t have to see Baekhyun as gross as he was. But his absence still stung, and Baekhyun’s heart panged with longing whenever the tall boy crossed his mind.

The days following Chanyeol’s departure, Baekhyun morale went downhill, more downhill than any hills they descended. He was dirty, sweaty, and smelly – although at some point he couldn’t even smell his or anyone else’s body odor anymore because he had gone nose blind. All of his equipment seemed to accumulate a layer of dirt from the dry dusty trails. His hair – oh God, his hair – was greasier than it had ever been in his life. They had no mirrors, but Baekhyun knew if he could see himself, his dark roots would look outgrown and flaked with dandruff, his bangs matted down to his damp forehead, the back of his head flattened with hat hair. The young Scout had brought some wet wipes for his face, armpits, (and butt), yet his face still felt oily and most definitely had some acne breakouts.

In addition to the filth, there came the pain. He felt a terrible ache in muscles didn’t even know he _had_ , and his hips were beginning to get sore from the waist straps of his pack. Blisters plagued his feet in the strangest places; in between his toes and on the balls of his feet. Every day produced a new one, and no amount of band-aids and moleskin could alleviate the chafing of his sweaty socks and the impact of the trail on his feet. His boots were well broken in, as he had worn them for almost a year, but despite that, he still suffered the consequences of hiking mile after mile.

Irritability came next. Quirks that he usually found charming in his friends gradually became annoying. Sehun’s antics made him a pest, and Jongdae’s whining was unbearable. It took all his willpower to not snap at his fellow Scouts. He loved them all dearly, but the many stresses of the trek made his tolerance wear thin.

Baekhyun reaches his lowest point at the highest point of their hike. Mount Baldy’s peak tops at an elevation of 12,441 feet. During their side hike up the mountain, the oxygen levels drop, wind chill is high, and Baekhyun feels like he is going to die. The peak seems to stretch forever as if every step forward makes the top stretch higher out of their reach. Breathing ragged, muscles screaming for him to stop, Baekhyun feels the sting of tears in his eyes.

 _Why am I getting emotional_ now  _of all times?_ his subconscious whines.

Baekhyun feels guilty. Guilty because this is his last trip with all his friends together, and all he’s been doing is dwelling on the ranger’s absence. Baekhyun had created a negative vibe among the troop, what with his longing for Chanyeol, in addition to his sour mood from his physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. His self-loathing grows as he thinks about how awful he’s been to be around. This trek is obviously hard for all of them, but Baekhyun had been too absorbed in himself and his problems to think about his friends.

He thought about Chanyeol and his contagious smile and kind eyes. Oh, how nice it would be to bury his face in the giant’s chest, wrapped up in his strong arms. Baekhyun needed comfort. This was all too much; Philmont, hiking for miles and miles in the boiling sun, feeling sorry for himself, being a shitty friend, his lungs _begging for air_ on top of a _fucking mountain._

Minseok turns around and grasps Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Hey, you got this alright? We’re almost there.” Baekhyun nods in understanding, shoulders heaving from his ragged breath.

“Shit…dude, your nose.”

Baekhyun reaches up and wipes his face, noticing blood on his fingers from where he touched his nostrils. He is too numb to process the situation.

Minseok grabs a tissue from his pocket. “It’s the elevation change, don’t worry about it,” he hands the tissue to the blonde boy and offers a warm smile. The bleeding boy wipes his nose, sticking bits of the tissue up his nostrils to stop the blood flow. _What would I do without my best friend?_

  

  

***

 

 

When Baekhyun finally reaches the top, he collapses to the ground and immediately bursts into tears. He had been holding it in for so long, all these pent-up emotions from Chanyeol leaving, from the pain of hiking, from his mentality degrading, so when he was finally done with the strenuous hike, he let it all out.

Minseok sits down and wraps his arms around the sobbing boy, protecting him from the wind and from the eyes of confused spectators; other Scouts on their own treks. Minseok glares at them and they turn away, flustered from being caught staring.

The blonde boy shakes from his broken sobs, gasping for air. Minseok just holds him and rubs his shoulder soothingly, letting his young friend cry out his frustrations.

Baekhyun eventually calms down and Minseok hears a small voice muffled in his shirt. “What’d you say, Baek?”

“I’m sorry,” he sniffs, eyes puffy and avoiding contact with Minseok’s.

“Hey, don’t be sorry, it’s alright. Everything’s alright, yeah?”

“I mean, I’m sorry I’ve been so shitty the past few days,” he sighs, wiping his tears roughly with his sleeve. “I’m just not strong enough for this trip, I guess,” he chuckles cynically.

Minseok stands and helps Baekhyun up with a grasp on his arm. “You’re strong, Baekhyun. Even strong people have their lows. Philmont is strenuous, but look, you’ve made it this far! And you’ll finish it too,” he gives a small, encouraging smile to his friend and pulls him into a hug.

When they let go, Baekhyun finally looks out to the views from the top of the mountain. Spinning around slowly, he gets a panorama of all of Philmont’s land. They’re so high up that Baekhyun can see some clouds down in the valley. Along the horizon are other mountains and wide plains of grass, and above them a vibrant blue sky, the sun beaming down onto the earth.

The wind whips Baekhyun’s hair in all directions so he holds his bangs back as he soaks in the view.

Minseok smiles at Baekhyun’s awestruck face, happy knowing that his friend is momentarily content. He knows how much Baekhyun loves nature, and it seems Baekhyun had lost sight of that when his inner turmoil started brewing.

But now, Baekhyun looks around to all the mountains, and it really sets in how _high_ they are. Twelve thousand, four hundred and forty-one feet above sea level. He really made it this far.

Suddenly feeling lightheaded, he sits back down onto the rocky surface of Baldy and takes his water bottle out of his daypack. He rips open a package of Acli-Mate, which is supposed to help with altitude sickness, and dumps it into his bottle. He realizes he probably should have done this several elevations ago, but better late than never, right?

 

 

***

 

 

They reach their campsite at the base of Mount Baldy and settle in as the two designated cooks for the day make dinner.

 

Their campsite is among the trees, as usual, but it is next to a big grassy field, which Baekhyun is tempted to frolic through like a carefree child. While setting up their tents, Baekhyun sees a group of deer standing in the field, no more than thirty feet away from where he is standing at the edge of the forest. Moving slowly so he doesn’t startle the deer, he pulls his camera out of his pack and points it at the deer. He captures some great close-ups with the zoom on his camera and got a video as they ran away, long legs carrying them across to the other side of the field.

“Woah, I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to such a large animal before,” Baekhyun breathed out in pure elation.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t a bear,” Jongdae mentions, picking up a tentpole and continuing their task.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a bear,” Jongin pipes in, “it’d make for such a cool story!”

Sehun joins in; “Yeah, like, ‘I fought off a bear that was attacking my troop in the middle of the New Mexico wilderness, no big deal,’” he shrugs his shoulders with a smug expression. Jongin laughs, entertained by his hypothetical tale, and Junmyeon rolls his eyes.

 

 

***

 

 

That night, Jongin switches tents with Kyungsoo so he can sleep with Junmyeon, because despite his earlier statement, he actually _would_ mind seeing a bear, and was now scared of one coming to eat him at night. Jongin was sheepish about his request, but Kyungsoo didn’t mind switching so that the younger Scout could sleep safe with their troop leader, knowing Junmyeon would protect him. Baekhyun thought it was endearing. Jongdae thought it was childish. Sehun was slightly disappointed that Jongin didn’t think _he_ could protect him. They all knew Sehun would probably sacrifice himself to the bear to save Jongin, but no one said anything.

Baekhyun fell asleep almost instantly when his head hit the pillow. The day had drained him in every way possible, and he was grateful to get some rest. Despite his breakdown on top of Baldy, he felt surprisingly better, and his outlook on the rest of the trip seemed brighter.

 

 

***

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun really struggled once Chanyeol left, huh? But he's a strong kid, he's getting through it. It's probably boring without our handsome ranger in the story, but he may or may not make a reappearance. (otherwise, this wouldn't really be a chanbaek fic and it would really suck)
> 
> I don't know when the next update will be, so sorry to keep y'all waiting (if anyone is actually reading this) but I'll try my best to stay motivated and keep writing.
> 
> (I TOOK A PHOTO OF MY WILDERNESS PLEDGE CARD, COVERED UP THE SIGNATURES, AND MADE SIGNATURES FOR BAEKHYUN AND CHANYEOL B Y H A N D so please check out my photo reference google folder because I put a lot of work into it uwu thanks)
> 
> photo references: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1KZUahhyMkp685PUmwMFcmYdlufrFknOm


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